Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney warned national unity could soon face a serious stress test if frustration with Ottawa drives more people to reject federalism. Onstage at The Globe and Mail’s Intersect 2026 conference in Toronto on Wednesday, Mr. Kenney described Quebec’s five-decade-long sovereignty debate as a “sterile, pointless political civil war” that has devastated its economy. He said Alberta would likely march down the same path if independence gathers even minority support on a potential fall referendum ballot, which he warned U.S. President Donald Trump could further inflame. Over the past year, the Harper-era former cabinet minister has emerged as one of the few voices making the federalist argument in opposition to the province’s separatist cause. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s decision to lower the number of signatures needed to force a citizen-initiated referendum – announced the day after Mr. Carney’s 2025 election win – allowed separatists to begin gathering signatories in early January. Their deadline to submit documents is less than two weeks away, but they claim to have already met the province’s threshold of nearly 178,000 signatures #AbPoli #seperatists #Alberta